Beside that which she had brought unto the king. — It can hardly be meant that Solomon returned her own presents. If the reading be sound, we may understand return presents, i.e., gifts equal in value to those which she had bestowed. Or better, we may regard the clause as a parenthetic note of the chronicler’s, to the effect that the giving of presents was not all on one side. Solomon showed himself as royally generous as his visitor. Putting the clause first would make this meaning clearer: “And quite apart from what she brought the king, Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all her desire.” Bertheau, however, proposes a slight change in the Hebrew text, so as to get the sense, “beside what the king had brought for her.” 1 Kings 10:13 is much clearer: “besides what he had given her, according to the hand of king Solomon.” LXX. translates, “besides all that she brought to king Solomon;” the Vulg., “and far more than she had brought him,” which may be a trace of the original reading; the Syriac, “besides what he had given her.” Syriac and Arabic add, “and he revealed to her all that was in her heart.”
She turned. — Hâphak, for pânâh of Kings, which is more usual in this sense.